Društvo Slovenski Dom - Toronto - Slovenian Home Association

Slovenski Dom Celebrates 50th Anniversary
 
It may sound like an understatement as we celebrate Slovenski Dom’s 50th anniversary, but 50 years is a remarkably short period of time in the life of a Slovenian cultural organization in North America. I am thinking here of the Slovenian Women’s Union at 83 years, the Slovene National Benefit Society (SNPJ) at 105 years and, the grandfather of the Slovenian cultural organizations, the American Slovenian Catholic Union (KSKJ) which is heading for 115 years.
 
However, fifty years is an important milestone and we must celebrate it with pride and enthusiasm. Slovenski Dom at 50 is a celebration not of how long we have been around, but of what we have accomplished in those 50 years. More than that, it is about the next 50 years and what we have yet to achieve together.

 
For the past few years our members have been poring over photos and historic records and generally thinking of how to best showcase Slovenski Dom’s fascinating history. All this effort culminated with the publication of the book, “History of Slovenski Dom / Zgodovina Slovenskega Doma”. You can read this remarkable history complete with photos from the early days of Slovenski Dom in both Slovenian and English.
 
We are fortunate to have many of the people who helped shape Slovenski Dom still involved with the organization. The vision for Slovenski Dom was set by the founding fathers. The first Directors of the non-profit corporation named Slovenski Dom of Toronto were Peter Markes, Joseph Turk, John Kastelic, John Muhic, Alois Dolenc, Otmar Mauser, Frank Demsar, Peter Klopcic, Joseph Kastelic and Bozo Kosir. The first President was Alois Dolenc. It is a great pleasure to note that two of the first Directors of Slovenski Dom are still among us today. At one of the early Slovenski Dom banquets the guest of honour was Dr. Miha Krek, a former minister of Yugoslavia residing in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Krek made the following prophetic toast, “The soup which you prepared today, you will have to drink for your time eternal”. This was a reminder that the consequences of decisions last forever. I believe that Dr. Krek’s words are truer today than they were when he spoke them. In those few words are the seeds of our commitment to continue to serve the needs of the Slovenian community and our drive to continue promoting Slovenian culture and heritage.
 
Slovenski Dom at 50 is a place to be – old enough to know what we want and young enough to go after it. And I feel tremendously proud to be leading Slovenski Dom at this time in its history. Our vision for the next 50 years is to become a leading cultural organization serving the needs of the Slovenian community. A vision we can only achieve if we plan for it.
 
Now, as we celebrate the past, we must also make plans, ask questions, recruit new members, engage the Slovenian community, bridge the intergenerational gap between seniors and youth, look for a new building to prepare for future growth, provide benefits for our members and improve our website . We need to work hard to find new and better ways of creating unity among different Slovenian organizations for the benefit of all Slovenians. And we need to reach out and make our non-Slovenian family and friends welcome amongst us.
 
Oscar Koren, President
 

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POROČILO PREDSEDNIKA
 
DRAGI ČLANI IN ČLANICE SLOVENSKEGA DOMA
 
V imenu upravnega odbora z veseljem poročam o napredku Društva Slovenski Dom v letu 2009. Kakor prejšnja leta smo tudi v tem letu imeli živahen in pester program in pa tudi nekaj žalosti. Odšel je v večnost naš dolgoletni član g. Frank Leben. Družini smo poslali venec in sožalje v imenu Slovenskega doma in ga spremljali na njegovi zadnji poti. Naj počiva v miru.

 
V letu 2009 je Slovenki dom praznoval 50. letnico ustanovitve. Ponosni smo da po 50. letih Slovenski dom napreduje in pridobi mlajšo generacijo v naše članstvo. V tem letu smo sprejeli 6 novih članov. To so Betty Mair (Leben), Michael Sedej, Betty Sedej, Frank Sedej, Helen Sedej in Teresa Gomez (Nagode). Mladi ljudje so naša bodočnost zato prosimo vse ki imate otroke in vnuke da jih vključite v Društvo Slovenski Dom.
Poleg rednih mesečnih sestankov, je vaš odbor v letu 2009 organiziral naslednje kulturne in društvene prireditve.

• Ob koncu marca skupaj z Dom Lipa - “Potica Challenge”
• V začetku maja - “Environmental Day” skupaj z Slovensko Telovadno Zvezo (STZ) in posadili nekaj čez 4000 hrastov (red oaks). Sodelovali z Slovenskim Letoviščem pri njihovim sajenju dreves.
• V začetku julija - kulturno razstavo za Slovenski dan in razstavili različne predmete iz Slovenije. Hvala vsem ki ste posodili te predmete za razstavo.
• V septembru -avtobusni izlet, si ogledali muzej letalstva in obiskali Staneta in Pavlo Klemencic na njihovi farmi v Trentonu.
• V začetku decembra - praznovali 50 letnico obstoja Slovenskega doma z božičnim banketom v dvorani Marije Pomagaj na Manning Ave. Med gosti ki jih je bilo okoli 220 so bili člani in članice Slovenskega doma kakor tudi predstavniki drugih slovenskih organizacij. Igral je orkester Brajda. Kulturni program je vodila Majda Resnik in se je začel z nastopom plesne skupine Nageljčki. Nas odbornik Frank Gormek je predstavil svojo novo knjigo, “Borci za Svobodo” in John Cigan je nastopil kot Elvis Presley. Potem smo podelili priznanja. Priznanje Slovenskega doma za izredno prostovoljno delo pri Slovenskem domu je dobila Nada Music. Štipendijo Slovenskega doma je dobila Melodie Sustar. Za končan studij sta bila odlikovana Mateja Bajec in Janez Smrekar. Finančno nagrado so dobili Dom Lipa in Slovenska Šola. Kot vsako leto je bil tudi letošnji dohodek banketa in srečolova namenjen podpori Dom Lipa, Slovenski šoli in štipendijam za slovenske študente. Zahvaljujemo se vsem ki ste prišli na banket in s tem podprli Slovenski Dom. Še posebna hvala pa našim sponsorjem da je banket tako lepo uspel. Več informacij o Slovenskem domu se dobi na www.slovenskidom.com .

Tudi letos planiramo več kulturnih prireditev in aktivnosti. Prisrčno Vas vabimo da se udeležite teh prireditev in s tem podprete medsebojno povezovanje in ohranitev naše kulturne identitete. Če imate kakšne ideje za bodoče prireditve vas prosimo da jih predstavite odboru.
Velika dvorana na Pape Ave je v najemu Grkov ki pridno plačujejo najemnino. V mali dvorani imamo redne sestanke odbora in pa našo pisarno. Planiramo nekaj popravil ker smo dobili denarno podporo od Trillium Foundation. Tako da je Slovenski Dom v dobrem stanju.
Tudi letos smo debatirali kako se usmerimo v prihodnost. Ustanovili smo “Building Fund” ki bo služil našim željam po novem Slovenskem Domu. Preden zaključim se zahvalim vsem članom in odbornikom za sodelovanje in podporo. Bodimo ponosni da smo Slovenci in da imamo Slovenski Dom ki nas povezuje in nudi priliko da ohranimo našo kulturno skupnost.
Oscar Koren, Predsednik

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ENVIRONMENTAL DAY - 2009
 
The 2009 Environmental Day organized by the Slovenian Home Association and the Slovenian Sports Federation was an example of addressing the challenge of keeping our planet green. United Nations scientists have calculated that to replace the trees being cut down by commercial interests, each person in the world would have to plant at least two trees annually to maintain the balance. We have joined the United Nations Environmental Programme “The Billion Tree Campaign” and pledged to plant 4000 trees. We realized our pledge on May 5, 2009 weekend when we planted more than 4000 red oaks in the Bancroft area. Tree planting projects have three objectives. The first is carbon sequestration. Over the life cycle of the forest, the trees store carbon in their branches, trunks and roots. This is done through photosynthesis where the trees take carbon dioxide, which causes global warming, from the air and convert it to carbon compounds (mainly wood) and oxygen. The second objective is biodiversity, which to us means nature conservation by ensuring that native species do not become extinct due to overexploitation by people. And the third objective is recreation. This is what we do when we organize various sports, cultural and environmental events and projects. Tree planting is one of our environmental projects.
 
A tree planting project requires careful planning and execution. We started with planning meetings in the fall of 2008. Over the winter we secured some funding from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - Evergreen Community Tree Planting Grant Program and identified publicly accessible tree planting areas. Next came the logistics. Recruitment of environmentally conscious volunteers, contacting the nursery and ordering the trees, ensuring availability of sufficient tree planting tools and arranging transportation, food and refreshments for the volunteers. Other considerations included training, safety, supervision and the general wellbeing of volunteers.
 
Oscar Koren, President
 

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BANKET SLOVENSKEGA DOMA V TORONTU
 
V soboto 5. decembra, 2009 leta je čez 200 gostov napolnilo cerkveno dvorano na Manning Ave. v Torontu ob priliki letnega banketa in praznovanja petdesetletnice ustanovitve Slovenskega Doma v Torontu. Oscar Koren, dolgoletni predsednik društva, je pozdravil vse navzoče in predstavil Staneta Kranjca, predstavnika Slovenske vlade v Kanadi, ki je čestital društvu za dobro opravljeno delo. Župnik častiti g. Tine Batič je pred večerjo povabil vse goste k skupni molitvi Očenaša.
 
Po okusni večerji, ki jo je pripravila Anka Sikič, je Majda Resnik, podpredsednica društva, poklicala inž. Franka Gormeka, da predstavi svojo novo knjigo, Borci za svobodo. Ta knjiga je še en “nov dokument o hudih časih rdeče revolucije v Sloveniji v drugi svetovni vojni in po njej.” Ana Golobič je predstavila literarni krog, ki je sodeloval pri pripravi te knjige. Nada Mušič, urednica knjige, ki je prišla v svobodni svet, Kanado, dobro desetletje po koncu vojne, je izjavila, da je pri tem sodelovanju končno spoznala revolucijo do globoko tragiko komunistične revolucije. Tehnični urednik Peter Gormek je skupno s hčerko Štefi okviru Zephyr Data uredil slike in besedilo do končnega števila čez dvesto strani. Frank Gormek se je obema zahvalil za dobro opravljeno delo in jim podaril to svojo novo knjigo. Obenem je izjavil, da je pisal kakor je doživljal tiste čase, saj je sam hodil s tisto številno množico skozi Ljubelj in čez štirinajst dni bil poslan podivjanim revolucionarjem v roke po lažnijivem sporazumu z angleškimi zavezniki.
 
V nadaljnem programu je nastopila folklorna skupina Nageljčki. Posebnost današnjega večera je bil John Cigan, odličen impersonator Elvisa Presleya, ke je z osebno sličnostjo in dobrim pevskim glasom predstavljal tega znanega ameriškega pevca. V program društva Slovenski Dom je medruštveno povezovanje, priznanje mladini in osebam v slovenski skupnosti za izredne uspehe v različnih oblikah. V tem smislu je potekal program. Za osebni uspeh sta bila odlikovana Janez Smrekar (poklicni vodovodni instalater) in Mateja Bajec (višja strokovna šola) in Nada Mušič za izredno prostovoljno delo. Za študentsko štipendijo je bila zbrana Melodie Sustar, ki letos študira psikologijo na University of Guelph-Humber.
 
V okviru meddruštvenega sodelovanja, ki ga vodi Slovenski Dom, sta Slovensko Letovišče (Denis Zigante) in Slovenska Telovadna Zveza (Frank Gormek) prejela denarno podporo od organizacije Evergreen za pogozdovanje njihove zemlje.
 
Za razvedrilo in ples je igral orkester Brajda. Banket Slovenskega Doma je vedno vesel večer, je tradicija, ki se ponavlja iz leta v leto, pa če je zima še tako mrzla in huda.
 
Frank Gormek

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TRENTON GET AWAY
 
On Saturday September 26, 2009, 41 ladies and gentlemen enjoyed Slovenski Dom’s bus tour to Trenton, Ontario. We stopped for coffee and goodies at the “Big Apple”. The next stop on our trip was the RCAF Museum in Trenton where we viewed memorabilia and historic aircraft. Then we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Tommy’s Restaurant in Trenton. After that, we participated in the wine tasting at the Sandbanks Winery.
 
Our final stop was at the farm of Stan & Paula Klemencic in Trenton. We admired their wonderful racehorses and Paula’s exquisite handmade quilts. The Klemencic Family treated us to a lovely sit down supper in their home. At 6:00 pm we were Toronto bound and a good time was had by all.
 
Nora Burnett, Secretary
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Slovenian Writers in Canada – Invitation
 
This is an invitation to all, young and old alike, who enjoy reading and are interested in volunteering some time towards the Slovenski Dom Slovenian Writers in Canada project.
 
Over the past few months, I have become involved with Slovenski Dom’s “Slovenian Writers in Canada” project. I had no idea that there are over 50 Slovenian writers in Canada, who collectively have written over 70 books. This project’s goal is to index these authors in an annotated bibliography of their books.
 
I have always been interested in learning about my Slovenian heritage. I enjoy listening to my grandmother’s stories of her life back in Slovenia. Let me tell you, it was far from the luxuries of the internet, cell phone text-messaging, and easy one-shop mega malls. Walking 20 miles to and from school, barefoot in the snow, is only a short step from the truth. Therefore, when I was asked to read a Slovenian-Canadian autobiography and write up a short summary, I was very excited.
 
I have just finished reading a book entitled “Memoirs of Days Gone By” written by Joe Mihevc. In this book, Mr. Mihevc recalls from his childhood experiences the moment he decided to immigrate to Canada. He paints a unique and fascinating picture of his life, highlighting his ups and downs.
 
I encourage all young and not so young Canadian-Slovenians who are interested in learning about their relatives’ lives in Slovenia and subsequent journeys to Canada to pick up books such as “Memoirs of Days Gone By” and get a taste of what life was like back then.
 
If you are interested in volunteering to read a book in support of the project, and writing a short review of it, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 
A reminder to high school students, you can allocate this time towards your Community Involvement Hours requirement for the OSSD.
 
Amanda Stefanyk
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EDITOR'S COMMENTS
Well here I am again! Another year has gone by with a great deal of effort and energy expended by the Board of Directors and willing volunteers to continue to sustain Slovenski Dom and its activities. I continue to remain hopeful to be able to make a small contribution toward advancing the aspirations of Slovenski Dom, its members and the Slovenian community at large through this Newsletter and the web site at <www.slovenskidom.com>.
 
Every Member is invited to register and use the site to share comments, opinions, memories, photos, music, poetry - whatever you wish - and engage in dialogue and debate with like-minded people about Slovenia and things Slovenian. Registration is FREE OF CHARGE to all Members.
 
Last year I issued an appeal, AND A CHALLENGE, to all Members to get involved in the Slovenski Dom web site. While I was anticipating a fairly significant number of registrants, rather few have taken advantage of the opportunity. Nonetheless I consider the results encouraging because among the new registrants there are individuals from the U.S (e.g. New York State and Colorado) and even Slovenia. Remember, the Slovenski Dom web site It is not a typical "static" web site that simply "pushes" information at you, useful though that may be when you are searching for "facts." By contrast, it is TOTALLY OPEN to your input and can be a place for dialogue and debate unlike typical static sites. For casual or first time visitors the site is a typical "static" site and provides basic information about Slovenski Dom, its program and activities. Upon registration, users are given basic privileges for posting material and participating in discussions that may arise. If you identify yourself as a Member of Slovenski Dom, and are verified as being in good standing, a range of extra "Members ONLY" privileges becomes available to expand the features you can access.
 
As I mentioned last year, it has been said that "Slovenski Dom je dom brez doma." That remains true in a physical sense. However, times have changed and while, as always, "Home is where the Heart is" continues to ring true, it is in that same sense that the internet and the Slovenski Dom web site provide a virtual home where anyone, anywhere, at any time with at least a bit of Slovenia in their heart can visit and share their thoughts, hopes and aspirations regarding things Slovenian. Remember, if YOU participate, the site will become more like whatever YOU want it to be, not what some "webmaster" dictates. As stated previously, the only limitations that will be imposed will be those of decorum and good taste. Aside from that the sky is the limit! Visit the web site and participate in building a 21st Century virtual Slovenski Dom on the Internet!
 
Tony Muc, Editor
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PROGRAM FOR 2010
 
Annual General Meeting (AGM) . . . .Sunday, April 25, 2010

Potica Challenge  at Dom Lipa . . . . . . Sunday, May 2, 2010

Tečaj Slovenskega Jezika za Turiste . . . . . April-June, 2010

Environmental Day with STZ . . . . . . .Saturday, May 8, 2010

Cultural Exhibit at Slovenski Dan . . . . .Sunday, July 4, 2010

Bus Tour (tentative) . . . . . . . .Saturday, September 18, 2010

Christmas Banquet . . . . . . . . . Saturday, December 4, 2010

Check the Slovenski Dom web site regularly for more details and the latest updates.
 
Visit: and become a registered user FREE OF CHARGE. Identify yourself as a member of Slovenski Dom and, upon verification of your status, you will be able to enjoy many added features and privileges only available to members.
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